Transformers Infinite

by LuisJM

Due to an unfortunate attack, Sari, Jack, Miko, and Raf all got sucked through a ripped tear and into a sky city called Columbia. Now in order to escape a Prophet and the Vox, they must join forces with a private detective and a mysterious girl. (Transformers/Bioshock Infinite crossover) (LuisJM/FictionFan1024 collab) (Raf/Elizabeth pairing)

14. Old Man Winter

Well, it's official. I've been officially vaccinated. So I've been waiting for a while until I am sure that these vaccinations are safe and effective. After months of waiting, I decided to go to one of the vaccine stations and get my shot. Now I choose Pfyzner since not only is the most effective against any and all variants, but the vaccine station was close to my house. I took the first shot in early May and the second shot in late May. And yes, the second shot could be a bit of a dozy. I mean the day after the second shot, I have a fever of a hundred, I was tired, had pain on my sides, my nose was stuffy and it was hard to breathe when I'm sleeping, and felt a little weak. But the following day, all of that went away and I felt fine. So now I am fully vaccinated and won't have to worry about Covid and can do some of the stuff I missed doing for over a year.

Now I know they said that we have to remove our masks two weeks after we get vaccinated. But, I prefer to keep my mask on for a bit longer for many reasons. For one, even if I admit I am vaccinated, I don't know if anyone else is vaccinated and this no mask after two week vaccination policy will give people a good enough excuse to lie that they've been vaccinated and remove masks just so they won't get the shots to begin with. Not to mention the new Delta varient that is spreading and is much more contagious and transmissible, even to vaccinated people. Secondly, while me and my sisters were vaccinated, my mom and dad don't have the time. The reason is because that they are a bit busy with my dad being the Director of the funeral home and my mom having so many problems in her life and health. So even if I'm no longer at risk in dieing to the virus, my parents are as they are in the elderly stage and if I bring the virus to them, it would be chaotic. Thankfully, my mom finally got the first shot with the second coming up in August. But dad… I don't know if he's close to ready for a vaccine shot giving his work schedule. But hey, we shall see in the near future. For now, I'm glad that I'm fully vaccinated and hope to get back to normal.

Let's check up on the last chapter. So far, everything looks as fair as possible. Two reviews and over 150 hits is all that I got, yes, but it's a fair amount and there are a handful of people who wishes to see what would happen to Booker, Elizabeth, and the Skystrikers. So much so that I couldn't wait anymore. So this is technically breaking news. As of right now, I decided to continue the story without the help of Henry Cerro, also known as FictionFan1024. Yes… I know… Just announcing the break up of a partnership is really hurting for me and him. But when he never update is work for years and when he never add certain action scenes on this work, it starts to get a little agrivating. So Henry, if you're reading this, I'm very sorry. It is nothing personal, but I cannot wait for you for this long without a single progress of work. I know that you are super busy with everything and have little time in fanfiction. So from me to you, I just wish you the best of luck on your future and hoping we can speak to each other someday. You're a good friend and writing companion.

Now let's move on to the next chapter where Booker and the team must find a way to get to Slate. In order to do that, they have to find a certain vigor that can freeze up the heating pipes that was spewing flames, blocking their only path through. Will they be able to reach for it while getting their hands full with Slates loyal men? Only time will tell. You just need to read to see for yourself.

Chapter Notes

Two things I need to address before we start this chapter. The first is the setting. As you know, the Hall of Heroes is a museum that plagerizes Comstock to be the ultimate hero and brainwashes children into believing his lies. But seeing how this museum is huge, they only have three exhibits and a gift shop. So there's nothing else to work with. Thankfully, I can make the Hall look like that it has many exhibits in it's museum. And on this chapter is no different. I'm sure you saw the two exhibits that depict actual American history. And I know you recall the Order of the Raven's building that has the huge statue of John Wilkes Booth, the very man how shot Abraham Lincoln. Well, I decided to add an actual exhibit that honors the cold blooded killer. I think you would be surprised with the setting and background I've added to the exhibit. Plus, it will pave the way for the other exhibit for the next chapter where they would comfront Slate. The second one is the vigor, Old Man Winter. As you recall, that Vigor, or Plasmid, was one of the new powerups for the two parter Burial at Sea DLC. Stangely enough, that we didn't have that vigor in the main game. So I decided to put the vigor in the story as a means to have a complete set. Now I am also planning to get the other vigor from the DLC game as well. I think it's called, Ironsides. But that's in the air as it's still early in the game. Until then, let's stick with this vigor until the time comes.

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime or Bioshock Infinite

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Chapter 14: Old Man Winter

Up in the air across the floating city of Columbia, a dropship was making its way to Soldier's Field. On that dropship, Corporal Gregory Bishop and his team were loading up their weapons as they were getting ready to take on the metal foreigners. The metal automaton behind the cockpit made the announcement that they were getting near.

'Attention: we are ten minutes away from Soldier's Field. Stand by to disembark."

Penelope Walker loaded her Eagle Eye sniper rifle and was curious about the Skystrikers and what they possess. "Hey! I got a quick question. These metal foreigners we're after, do we have any idea what we're up against? I mean, I know that they are with the False Shepherd, I do like to know the details on who we're up against."

Benjamin W. Hall placed his modified Cybertronian carbine on his holster and told her about the group. "Haven't you heard on the radio? They consisted of a juvenile male, a juvenile male of Mexican descent, a juvenile female of Indian descent, and a juvenile female of oriental descent. Two of which possess the same and different weaponry, one who appears to have a military background, and one can take the form of some ferocious beast. Quite a dangerous bunch if you ask me."

Taylor Clark loaded a rocket into his Barnstormer and wasn't amused. "Heh… I don't care who we're up against. All I know is that one of them is an Oriental. And I have quite a disdain for Orientals."

Placing shells in his China Boom shotgun, Williams Millers snickered and find it to be fun. "Seriously, Clark? You have a disdain for just about everything when you think about it. Remember the last time when you got that check down the Bistro at the Emporium? You literally snapped and turned the table over. You gave the girl quite a fright."

Clark turned to him and told him how that went down. "Hey! She gave me a steep enough check just for what? A glass of merlot I need to unwind?"

"Because you pick one of the most expensive ones on that list. Do you have any idea how much that cost? Twenty Eagles! That is something not all soldiers would purchase. Perhaps you should've read the prices and not look at the wine names."

"What was that?" Taylor said while getting his knife at the ready.

Before things could get any ugly, Benjamin got between the two and told them, "All right you two, that's enough. Don't beat each other up over trivial things. Save up that energy for when we start facing those metal foreigners, all right."

The two stared at each other and decided to save their squavels for another time.

"Fine, whatever you say." Taylor responded.

Williams shrugged it off and said back, "Hmph… No skin off my back."

As all that was going on, Charles was watching the distance and didn't mention a single word. Penelope noticed that and asked if something's the matter. "Hey… Everything all right. You seem quiet since we embarked to Soldier's Field."

He didn't answer the sniper's questions. Instead, the Handyman pointed his huge metal finger at what he's looking at. Turning to where he's pointing, she could see Silas looking out at the distance. Seeing that, she wondered what was up with him. So she walked ahead and checked on him.

At the same time, the colonel looked out in the distance of the cloudy sky and gave a sigh. Digging into the collar of his uniform, he took out his pendant and looked right at his family photograph with his wife and son. Though, looking at it, he could hear Penelope's voice behind him.

"Something on your mind?" she said to him.

Bishop heard her and turned to see her looking a little worried. So he regained his composure and said, "Um… Yeah. I'm fine. Just in deep thought is all. It is my first mission in a long time and… Let's just say the last mission wasn't fun."

The sniper noticed the pendant and asked about it. "That pendant… Is that your family?""

The colonel looked at the photo and answered honestly. "Yes… They are… My wife and son. We were once a happy family for a long time here in Columbia."

Penelope heard that and looked to him in confusion. "Were…"

The colonel took a breather and explained why he decided to do one more task. "My wife died during the attack from the Metal Foreigners. My son decided to enroll in military school to follow in my footsteps. Me? Left the military and performed some odd jobs for the Vox Populi. It was a hell of a pain for me. Course, I needed these jobs to get the money to get me and my son out of this city. Comstock's men found me today and the prophet gave me an ultimatum though. Perform one more mission under his wing and handle the foreigners, and he'll have me and my son back down to the seldom below. That's why I decided to take this mission. So I can wash all this behind."

Penelope heard that and understood why he wanted to get the job so badly. "I see… So you wish to leave town and this mission is the only thing that can get you out of this rut."

Bishop gave a nod and said nothing more.

Knowing this, she assured him that it won't be a problem. "Look, I can tell that you have your demons. Can see it in your face. But even if you get away from your demons, it doesn't mean they are gone. Sometimes they linger with you until the day you die."

Gregory turned to her and asked, "And how do you know that it was going to be impossible to accept, huh? What makes you think that even if I escape this place, it doesn't mean the nightmares will be gone."

That's when Penelope got her hand up and two two engagement rings on her one finger, one from her, and one for her husband. "Sometimes, what you lost is the one thing you will never forget."

The colonel saw the rings and realized what it meant. Looking away, he grunted and said, "Looks like I'm not the only one you lost someone close to me."

As the clouds parted, he could see something that shocked him the most. Close by, what was supposed to be Monument Island turned out to be some warzone. The statue of Elizabeth was in shambles with both the head, arm, and wing torn off and the other arm still hanging by a thread. Looking at the sight, he was shocked and told everyone, "Whoa! Is that Monument Island? What happened to it?"

Hearing that, the group approached the two and saw the site of it. Seeing the wreckage of the statue, Benjamin remembered what happened and explained to the colonel what they were seeing. "Oh that. It was hard to tell from eyewitnesses, but according to the news, Moment Island was under attack by what some believe to be some kind of metal dragon. Songbird was there to defend it and the Seed of the Prophet. Course, as you can see, things didn't go well and that's the end result."

Bishop heard that and was curious about the Seed. "And the girl? Did she survive?"

The soldier nodded and said back, "They said that the Seed of the Prophet was evacuated and is in Comstock's House for safety."

Hearing that, he was curious about two things.

"I see… Still doesn't explain why Comstock's forces would continue to hunt down the False Shepherd, considering the girl was rescued. Let alone what makes the girl so special, other than the namesake. Still, I also wonder what goes on down there…"

The others heard him and were surprised that he would want to go down there. Williams caught on with that and told him that it wasn't a good idea. "What? Are you serious?! We are supposed to head down to Soldier's Field and check to see if these Metal foreigners are down there."

Bishop soon brushed it off and told them, "Relax… It's just an in and out mission. We'll check in, observe the damage, ask around, and leave. And besides, those foreigners already have their hands full. If I know Slate, he tends to take his time with his intruders. I'm sure when we get there, he will already be done with them by now. Let's check out Monument Island and see what we can do to help."

He soon walked up to the automaton piloting the dropship and told it, "Change of plans. Take us down to Monument Island."

The automaton heard him and told him, "My deepest apologies, but I have been instructed by the high ranking generals to take any and all soldiers to Soldier's Field to stop the False Shepard and his flock. I cannot simply change course without proper authorization."

The colonel heard that and told it who he is. "I am Colonel Gregory Bishop. I'm one of the leading generals of Columbia's Authority and the man who defended Columbia from the Metal Foreigners from the Stars. So I command you to take us to Monument Island, post haste!"

After hearing that, the automaton pilot responded with, "Understood. Redirecting course to Monument Island. Hang on to something."

With that, the dropship immediately made an immediate turn and headed to Monument Island. Bishop looked at his group and had a smirk on his face.

"What can I tell ya? Even if I have regrets about that past, being a Colonel has its perks."

He soon walked away from them and looked to the damaged statue they were approaching. The team looked at each other and was concerned about their leader.

"Sheesh… What's with this guy. How did he become a colonel in the first place?" Benjamin asked.

Pennelope shrugged it off and said back, "Who knows. But it's best not to ask him. I can tell he has enough baggage in his head. Better to keep it to himself then to let it all out."

So the group headed to Monument Island, looking into the Skystriker situation and seeing if it is related in some capacity.

---

Returning to the Hall of Heroes, Booker, Elizabeth, and the Skystrikers were heading to the John Wilkes Booth exhibit. In order to get to Slate, who blocked them from getting into the exhibit that was under construction, they need the Old Man Winter vigor to freeze up some furnace pipes that the Cornelius blew up. So here they are, walking the long hallway towards the door. Miko though thought of something and asked the others about it.

"Hey!" she said to them, "This is just me, but why are we going to get this vigor again. I am practically a half human/half Predacon hybrid that breathes fire. I can just go through those flames and head to Slate and pry the vigor out of his cold dead hands.

Sari sighed after hearing that and told Miko, "Miko, there is a reason we're doing this. Slate is dangerous as it is, but with him with all the Shock Jockey coursing through his veins, that is the worst. We all need to head down there together and take him out. Who knows what we're up against once we enter that place. We need to be at the ready."

Booker heard that and gave his own two cents. "You captain has a point." he said to her, "It would be difficult for you to take on Slate on your own. I know him, and he's a ruthless soldier. He never feels like giving up and would do anything for a victory. We all need to work together, just so we can stop him. If you have a problem with it, then I suggest you shut up and follow your superior."

Miko heard that and crossed her arms, huffing over what they said to her. "Fine… Be that way. I really don't care anymore."

So the group approached the door as Booker opened it. When he did that, the group entered what was very familiar. Turns out, it was the exhibit of Comstock chasing the Vox into the fiery pits of Hell. Elizabeth looked on and was a little bewildered.

"Huh, this looks familiar." she said to them.

Jack looked at this as well and remembered where they were as well. "It looks like we're back from when we headed to the gift shop to get the Shock Jockey. What an interesting convenience."

Sari looked at it too and knew that they had a way out of it. "It does seem that way my Gakusei. This is a good enough spot to backtrack and escape the Hall of Heroes to return to Soldier's Field and restart the Gondola to the First Lady."

Booker soon told them that they have to handle one thing first before escaping. "First thing's first. Let's get the Shock Jockey from Slate and then we'll get out of here. I just hope that getting the Old Man Winter to make a clearing would be a breeze after what we had to go through."

They were midway through the door until it was knocked down and a group of Veterans came out of it and blocked their path.

"There they are! The False Shepard and his flock! Don't let them through!"

They soon aimed their weapons and fired right at them. Both Sari and Jack got in front and deployed their shields as the bullets deflected them and protected the others. But it won't be much as they had little to cover. The two kept holding their ground as their energy started to get depleted.

"It's no use! There's too many of them! There's got to be a way to keeping them busy!" Sari said as her shield is weakening.

Booker heard it and decided to use the quick way in getting out of it. That's when he charged his hand and waved it to them. That's when a flock of crows headed towards the group. The veterans were caught by surprise and try to wave them off. But they were overwhelmed and were assaulted. He soon lobbed a Devil's Kiss grenade to them and it exploded, causing the group to get caught in fire. So with the crows combined with the fire, makes more damage. When they were distracted, Booker told everyone to get through.

"Hurry! Get to the door before the crows fly away!"

The group soon started to run towards the door the veterans went through and Sari closed it with Jack getting a mop and placing it on the door handles, making sure they are not followed. By the time they were in safety, they were soon introduced by a barrage of bullets as they got to cover behind benches and Comstock statues. Peeking up, they could see more guards protecting the entrance to the exhibit. Booker got his machine gun out and fired a barrage of bullets to clear the way. He soon got back into cover as he started to get annoyed by it all.

"For crying out loud." he said with complete anguish, "There's a lot of these bastards. How many of them did Slate recruit? Cause by the way things look, he seemed to have been busy."

Raf soon got out of cover and used his Carbine to take out a few more before getting back into cover. "Can you blame them?" the hacker asked the detective, "They all have some serious gripes about Comstock and his twisted beliefs and historical lies. They all have a reason to fight against the system."

Sari was next as she got out and fired her energy orbs right at the men before returning to safety. "Well they need to understand that we don't want to hurt them. But considering the situation, we don't have much of a choice in the matter. Just need to find a way through."

Booker nodded and had to think of something. That's when he saw two more rifts, both of whom link together. Seeing that, he turned to Elizabeth and told her to open it.

"Elizabeth! Open them!"

Elizabeth heard him and immediately put her hands together. That's when the rift appeared and both hooks appeared on both ends of the wall.

"Got them!"

Booker soon turned to Raf and told him to follow his move. "Rafael! With me!"

The super solider heard him and responded the best he could. "Got it!"

Elizabeth soon tossed Raf her skyhook and said, "Take this! You might need it!"

The hacker grabbed it and place it into his arm, saying, "Thanks!"

With their skyhooks ready, they quickly jumped up and clamped on hooks and were in the air. Booker soon activated his Bucking Bronco and threw it at the enemy force, causing them to launch in the air and were floating. Raf got his sniper rifle out and started to shoot each of them in the air. One headshot after another, he managed to take out all of them except one.

"Hey, Booker, I saved you one!" the hacker said to the detective.

He looked down to the last veteran and said back, "I got it!"

Targeting, he quickly jumped off the hook and flew straight towards the last person, crushing him with his feet. Once he landed on the ground, he stood up and told the others to hurry.

"Okay!" he said to them, "Place is secure. We should get moving."

The team saw this and decided to keep going, much to Sari's dismay. Raf jumped off the hook and landed next to Dewitt, joining the team. The detective soon approached the door and noticed that it was completely locked with a padlock on the handle.

"Great… Locked… It's like they're protecting the door when they already have a security measure on it." he said.

Elizabeth heard that and decided to help out. "Hang on. Let me unlock it for you guys."

She soon ran to the door and got down with one knee, getting a lockpick out of her pocket. Getting into the lock, she started to pick it and turn it to get the right combination. As she was doing it, Sari approached Booker and decided to speak to him about something.

"Booker, do you have a minute?" she asked him.

DeWitt waved her off and said, "Can it wait? We need to get to the Old Man Winter in order to extinguish those flames and get to Slate."

"Yeah…" she started to discuss the situation, "About that… It's your so-called tactics in fighting. The idea of killing all these people is a bit too far."

Booker sighed and figured that was the case. "To be fair, these people attacked us first. This is a means of defense. If you can't control the situation, your best bet is to thin the herd."

Sari crossed her arms and reminded him of that type of logic on a previous venture. "Like what happened at Wounded Knee?"

That got him, as he turned his head in disgust.

"Look, I don't blame you for what you did." Sari continued, "I know you were just following orders. But you need to look at the bigger picture here. These people you're killing have families, children who look up to their fathers, wives who loved their husbands. Do you ever think about that? Because of all the lives you cost, those families will be heart broken. Far crueler than killing Indi-"

That's when Booker had enough and turned back to her to spat back. "Look! I get what you're trying to do! I know you want me to turn over a new leaf! But look at me! I'm a Pinkerton. I have done cruel things since enlisting. And if you think that this little talk can change anything, then I'm afraid you are mistaken."

Sari heard him and knew that he has a point. Once you are assigned into a certain branch of the military, there's no way out of it. Still, there could be the lingering hope that he might change. That's when she decided to ask him about the mission.

"When you get to Slate, what are you planning to do? Are you expecting to kill him? He is your friend after all." she asked him.

Booker heard her and knew she has a point. Slate is an old friend of his since he was a Pinkerton. But considering the situation they're all in, there is a conflict of whether to kill him or not. Still, he needs that Shock Jockey to get out of this city and return to New York with the girl. And if it means getting to Slate to grab it, then so be it.

As he was contemplating, a bunch of crows were gathered around them from above and watched on. At the same time, Booker responded the best he could.

"I'll cross that bridge when we get there." he said, "For now, let's focus on getting to him."

The two turned around to check on the picking as the crows started to fly down and begin to gather together. Book soon spoke to Elizabeth and asked what's taking so long.

"Anything wrong?" he asked her, "You seem to be taking your time."

Elizabeth heard him and answered while trying to pick the lock. "I'm trying to get in, but this lock is a bit complicated. It's going to take a few minutes to break in."

Miko looked on and placed her hands on her hips, feeling a little annoyed. "Seriously? You have all those years learning this stuff in that tower and you can't get something as simple as a lock to break? You are really losing your touch."

Elizabeth heard her and peered her eyes to the Predacon hybrid, giving her a reason for her experience. "I'll have you know that I spent my entire life unlocking that safe that would take me out of my tower and failed many times. It wasn't easy breaking something as complex as a safe. And with a lock like that, it would be hard to manage when there are a lot of bells and whistles that could complicate things. So be patient and let me handle my job."

Sari soon stepped in and asked, "How long can you unlock this door?"

"Now much." Elizabeth said, "I would think a few minutes at best. Why?"

Sari soon felt something off and turned around, seeing a sight that was quite surprising. "Because I think that you need to hurry up… Like right now." she responded.

The others heard her and wondered what she was going on about. That's when they all looked at what she's seeing and discovered a group of birds heading to two seperate spots. That's when two Zealots appear in front of them and readied their swords on both ends.

"We won't let you get to that Old Man Winter!"

"We will not let you get to our leader! We promise you that!"

Booker saw that and decided that they need to defend the door and Elizabeth. He turned back to her and said, "Get to work on that lock! We need to make an escape as soon as possible!"

"I can try!" she responded, "But I need to focus on this."

Sari soon deployed her energy blades and got into a battle stance. "Just do your best! We'll hold them for as long as possible! Get ready team!"

Jack soon got himself at the ready with his energy sword and sheild up. "I'm ready!"

Miko sharpened her claws and responded the same way. "Me too!"

Raf soon got his machine gun out and loaded it up as well. "You can count on me!"

Sari soon positioned herself and gave out her warcry.

"Skystrikers! Attack!"

They all soon charged in as they were ready to take on both Zealots in one go. Miko soon flew up high and started to breathe fire, forming a ring around them to prevent them from escaping. This left the four members to face the two as Sari told them on what to do.

"Raf, you're with Jack! Provide covering fire while he handles the close combat!" she told them, "Booker, you're with me! We will do the same!"

The detective heard that and got what she was planning. "Shoot and attack, that's definitely Pinkerton tactics." he said to her.

Sari smirked to him and told him, "Learn from the best. Now let's handle these two while Elizabeth unlocks that door!"

So the group seperate in two teams with Jack and Raf handling the Zealot to the left and Sari and Booker handling the one on the right. Soon enough, both teams went right into the attack and were using all they have to get rid of the group.

With Raf and Jack, the techno organic charged in with his sword down to the ground and flung it up the enemy's face and nearly blinded him. The Zealot backed away and nearly got burned as Jack lifts his sword high and was about to attack. Almost immediately, the veteran blocked the attack with his sword and the two went at it. The two clashed with their blades and they connected wherever they could. As they crossed them in an X format, the two had a test of strength and spark came out of both of them. Jack soon pushed him back and he nearly lost his balance. The Darby quickly charged in and was going to go for the kill. However, the Zealot disappeared in a flock of birds and the crows started to scatter. Jack stopped and looked around, wondering where the Zealot might be this time. As the crows gathered behind him, the Zealot appeared and wanted to do a back stab. Jack though saw it coming and jumped up high and in the air and flipped over the veteran. While suspended in the air, he adjusted his blaster hand to fire a few shots from above. The Zealot deflected each shot with his sword and got out of there unscathed. But that still didn't matter as Jack landed on the ground with his feet and used his rocket boosters to launch himself towards him. The Zealot managed to side step out of the way, causing the Techno Organic to miss. But he managed to recover by turning his boosters to skates and drifted to a 180, putting his sword on the ground to stop the momentum. Once he got back on track, he went back to fighting as the two swung their swords as they either hit each other or dodged each other's moves. As the two went at it, Raf was at a farther distance as he was on the Comstock statue and kept himself steady. Aiming his sniper rifle, he looked down the scope and waited for a clear shot.

"That's it… C'mon Jack… Give me a clear shot and I'll handle the rest."

Back to Jack, he was still going at it with the Zealot and was using everything in his power to take him out. He side steps a thrust and kicks the sword, causing his target to spin. Once he got his back turned, the Darby placed his foot on the coffin and pushed him down. The veteran rolled around before he vanished and the crows kept flying about. Jack soon opened his palms and started to shoot at the crows, killing a few of them in the process. But the crows gathered together and the Zealot appeared, waving his hands to summon his crows to fly towards the intruder. Jack saw the crows and deployed his shield to protect himself from the incoming barrage. But that was all a distraction as the veteran charged in and his sword high in the air. When the Darby got his shield down and saw the sword fast approaching him, he quickly ducked down and rolled out of the way to avoid the swing. Getting on one knee, he turned and deployed his own sword to get back at dueling. The Zealot soon turned around and swung back, causing the two blades to clash together with sparks coming out of them. Both held their ground and were trying to outpower each other. This in turn led to the Zealot mocking the young Darby.

"What makes you think you can beat Cornelius Slate, boy? You have nothing against him! You have nothing against us!"

Jack heard him and couldn't help but to smirk. "Yeah… I guess you're right… That's why we have a backup plan!"

Almost immediately, he opened up his hand and placed it on his face, giving a flash bang out of the blast end. The Zealot felt that and was blinded, backing away to rub the spots from his eyes. When he did that, Jack turned to Raf and told him to finish it.

"Now! Take the shot!"

The super soldier heard him and got his sniper rifle in position to take aim. That's when he got him in his sights and fired a shot at him. That in turn led to the bullet hitting him in the head and pierced his skull, killing him in an instant. Once he was down, Raf got his rifle down and was pleased with his success.

"You still got it, Raf…" he said to himself, "You still got it…"

Heading to Sari and Booker, the techno organic went into the fight with the second Zealot while Booker was afar with his carbine in his hands. He soon backed away while Sari was handling the Zealot in close combat. The two duke it out with Sari deploying her blades while the Zealot has his sword in toe. The two clash as the blades collide and the sparks started to fly. The techno organic used quick slices to keep the enemy on his toes as he kept on blocking them with quick succession. He then soon got his sword back and was about to thrust it into her chest, but she quickly crossed her blades together and blocked it. Keeping the sword in her clutches, she performed a perry takedown move that caught the veteran by surprise. He got lifted up off the ground during the takedown and flew high in the air with his sword flying off his hands. As he was in the air, he vanished and a flock of birds appeared and flew towards her. Sari saw that and got her shield up to protect herself from the onslaught. Saving herself, she got her hand blasters out and fired multiple shots to take down as many birds as she could. But those crows were mere distractions as the Zealot appeared and picked up his sword that was embedded into the tile floor. Sari could feel that with her senses and knew she was being tricked. Turning around, she could see the Veteran charging in with his sword swung to her. Knowing this she jumped up and over him, avoiding the swing completely. While in the air, she did a side corkscrew and got her blades out to perform a buzzsaw to him. The Zealot quickly got his sword out and managed to block it as sparks danced off it and nearly blinded him. Landing back down to the floor, Sari rolled before getting to one knee and turned to the veteran. With both blandes down to the side, she lunged back and went for a double swing. But the Zealot used his sword to block that attack as the two blades connected. The two soon held their ground as the sparks multiplied during the combat. The second Zealot starred her down and wasn't impressed.

"Is that all you got? I have battled vicious degenerates from the Vox that are highly skilled in combat. You are nothing compared to them, girl."

Sari heard that and gritted her teeth from hearing that. But she won't give up without a fight and reminded him of who she is. "Really?" she said, "Well, maybe you have underestimated me. Cause I am the most skilled in the field of my cyber ninja training. Here, let me demonstrate!"

And with that, she used her cyber push to shove the Zealot away and he skidded on his feet until he stopped. That's when the Skystriker leader charged in and went right back to the attack with her own move set. Quickly, she swung her blades in many directions, one quicker then the other, shipping whatever defense the veteran has. He kept on blocking with his sword, but it was too much for him as he was getting a little overwhelmed. In one swift move, she used her blades to push the sword at the same time and kicked the Zealot down to the floor. Already she got him on the ropes and was about to use both hand blasters to finish him off. But the moment she fired, he disappeared and a flock of birds begins to scatter. The captain was taken back by this and didn't expect that to happen.

"Whoa!" she said in surprise, "Forget they could do that."

The birds flew around her as she didn't know how to respond to that. Soon enough, she started to use her blasters to start firing and taking out the crows. But those black birds flew around really fast and avoided each attack. She looked at the situation and decided that she would wait.

"Scrap!" she said to herself, "These bastards are super fast. I can't take one of them down. Best bet is to wait it out until they gather and the Zealot materializes. But that would mean that he would have an advantage against me on all sides. Need to find a way to counter that. How?"

She could tell that the crows are getting closer and have to think of something, and fast. Soon enough, she remembered about the detective and turned to him for some help.

"Booker! You got enough vigor in your system?"

Book heard her and responded with, "Depends on what you're planning. What do you have in mind."

Sari smirked and told him to wait for the attack. "Just wait for my signal. Trust me, this one's going to be explosive."

With that, she waited until the Zealot made his appearance. When the crows all gathered together, the Zealot appeared and charged in with his sword high in the sky. Sari though stood there and figured he would pull something like that off. So she closed her eyes and focused, lifting her hand up and almost having some kind of force in her cyberninja training. The enemy was about to slice it down to the middle, but he stopped as if he had no control. He was forzen in place as he didn't budge. That's because his sword was made of metal and Sari was using her abilities to keep it still. The Zealot struggled to move it but it was impossible to do so.

"What the Hell…? What's this? I can't move! What's going on here."

Almost immediately, she lifted her hand up and the sword lifted high in the air. That in turn led to the Zealot flying high in the air and was floating to the ceiling. Seeing this, Booker figured that was Sari's plan. Once she got the enemy up, she told the detective, "Hurry! Use the Devil's Kiss on him now while I still have him up. I don't know how much longer I can hold him for!"

Booker heard her and knew that he has to hurry. Getting his hand out, he used the Devil's Kiss Vigor and charged it to full power. Soon enough, he lunged a huge fireball towards him. The fireball connected and engulfed the Zealot in flames, causing him to scream in complete pain. Once he was on fire, he soon disappeared and the crows stattered, all of whom were on fire. They were flapping madly and were trying to extinguish themselves the burns on their wings. Once they scattered, Booker decided to take them out with his carbine and took aim at the first one. Getting it in his sights, he pulled the trigger and took out the first one. Then he went on and shot the second one. Then the third… Then the fourth… Fifth… Sixth… Soon enough, he was the bird exterminator as he was taking out crows that were flying about. That in turn led to the last one as he targeted it and pulled the trigger. He shot the crow down and cleared the sky. All around them, dead crows were all over the floor as Sari looked at the mess and was pleased with it. Booker soon lowered his weapon and was impressed by the captain's quick thinking.

"Not bad Captain." he said to her, "Not bad at all. Never thought you could strategize over something like that."

Sari turned to him and told him, "It was nothing. It's all about exploiting weakness. When I saw how he teleports with the crows, I figured that the Murder of Crows have transfered his body physically into those crows. Take one out, a piece of his life gets taken out. Which is why taking them out is the only way in removing them. We just need a way from him to disperse into crows."

Booker crossed his arms and reminded her of the promise she made. "Is that right…?" he asked, "Well whatever happened to not killing anyone? I thought you're not into violence."

Sari heard that and pouted, reminding him that she's still not into it. "I'm still not interested in killing innocent people, even if they are fighting against us under someone's orders. But considering your friend's trying to kill us, sometimes the best defense is a good offense."

As they were done clearing the way, they could hear the doors banging from the entrance they came in by. With all of them turning their heads, they could see the doors being pushed over and over again and hearing the voices of the veterans on the other side side.

"Hurry! Open that door up! We can't let them find a way in getting to Slate!"

Miko heard that and groaned over the situation. "Great… Looks like we have a problem here. Those Veterans are still at it."

Booker and the rest of the Skystrikers soon joined the Predacon hybrid and Elizabeth and knew it wasn't over yet.

"Terrific…" Book said, "Looks like the Bucking Bronco wore out in time. Now it looks like we have to fight them off now."

Jack soon turned to the Pinkerton and told him, "What about the vigors? Can you just use more Bucking Bronco to lift them up?"

Book heard that and looked to his hand, realizing he had run out of salt. "Sorry, use the rest of the Devil's Kiss to incinerate the last Zealot. Don't have any more."

Miko heard that and decided to bring her own fire to the party. "Don't matter… I'll give them the heat when they bust through the doors. They'll be in for quite a surprise."

She soon flapped her wings and flew up to the ceiling, ready to incinerate any Zealot that would come to the door. Elizabeth looked at this situation and knew that she had to do something. That's when she noticed a tear that was in the middle of the door, almost appearing out of the blue. Seeing that, she lifted her hand up and told them, "Wait! There's a tear in front of the door. Don't know what it contains, but if I open it, whatever will come out of it will hold them back while we get the Old Man Winter."

The group heard her case and was a little skeptical about it.

"Are you sure that will work? We don't even know what will come out of it once you open it up." Sari asked.

Booker gave it some serious thought and knew that it was no or never. "Whatever the case, it's a risk we are willing to take. Open it!"

With that, Elizabeth got in front of the tear and got into position. She soon placed both hands together and focused hard on opening it up. After so much effort, her hands begin to open up and the tear spread. At the same time, the Veterans managed to break the door down and immediately charged in to get to DeWitt and the Skystrikers. But as they all got into the hallway, they all stopped and saw something that they didn't expect. Right in front of them, there was a line of heavily armored soldiers all dressed in black with weapons that look really foreign in nature, be that of swords, spears, and other strange weaponry. One of them in the middle walked down to stop ahead and stood at attention, placing her hand in her heart and responding in a seriously femenin voice.

"Glory to Mankind!"

Immediately, the dotted visors glowed red, as a means of posing a threat. The rest soon followed as their eyes glowed and they prep their weapons ready for battle. The Veterans looked at this and were surprised about that.

"Sweet Columbia! What the hell are those things?!"

The second one looked at this and decided to take them all out.

"Who knows and who cares! Let's take them out before the False Shepard and his Flock get away. Open Fire!"

They all soon pointed their weapons to the group and opened fire. At the same time the armor female soldiers charged in with their weapons armed and were ready for a full on assault. Some of the shots took out a few soldiers as they were bleeding badly, but had exposed circuitry instead of organs. The rest managed to make it and they duke it out against the Veterans of Columbia. At the same time, Booker and the Skystrikers saw this and were surprised that Elizabeth managed to bring forth an army of her own. She looked on and smiled at the sight of it.

"Looks like we got lucky." she said.

The rest soon decided to make their leave as the two groups were killing each other.

"Okay…" Miko said as she decided that they should leave, "Let's get out of here and get that vigor. I don't want to sit back and wait to see who wins."

"Point taken." Sari agreed, "Let's get out of here!"

So the group turned around and hurried to the door leading to the Lincoln Exhibit as the Veterans and female androids clashed. They soon kicked the door open and turned to close it. Both Sari and Jack use their metal jit-su to melt the lock and keep the group from getting in. Booker turned to see them do that and didn't like it.

"As much as I don't want to see who's victorious on the other end, exactly how are we going to get back with the only way back blocked." Booker asked.

Sari turned to him and assured him, "We'll find a way. Right now, let's focus on getting that Old Man Winter vigor."

They all turned around to see what looked like another exhibit that would take them straight to the vigor. That entrance has a sign over it that depicts fire with dark people carrying pitchforks at the bottom and a portrait of Lincoln with devil horns and red eyes. On it, there is a title that says, 'Lincoln: The Son of the Devil'. And ahead of that, there looked to be some kind of small downtown that was on fire, complete with real fire. The group looked on and could tell that it won't be easy to journey to.

"Something tells me that this exhibit won't be easy to walk through." Jack said with worry

Miko got the idea and remembered the last time would see something so haunting. "Tell me about it. Reminded me of when we went into the Order of the Raven's today. Just looking at what's inside made me sick to my stomach."

Sari heard that and gave a sigh, knowing that it was difficult to get through. But they need to continue the journey anyways as they have to get out of this city and look for the Autobots. "Either way, we need to keep going if we are to escape this nightmare. Let's get going."

"My thoughts exactly." DeWitt retorted.

So the group slowly walked down the arch entrance and checked to make sure that there were no more of Slate's men around. By the time they entered, they were in a small town that looked like it was set ablaze with actual fire blowing through the windows. There was also an entrance sign that says, 'Washington D.C.' as well as they could see the background view of both the White House and Congress, all of which were covered in fiery paint. Upon entering the town, they felt the heat while red eyes started to glow in some burnt windows and alleys and were watching the group. So much so that they didn't know if it was either Slate's men, or part of the scenery. By the time they turned the corner though, a flashlight appeared and showed a cutboard of what looked to be a hybrid of an Afican American and the devil surprising them with devil horns, tail, and a pitchfork. They managed to relax and continued their journey deeper into the exhibit. They soon reached an underpass and saw more of those African devils on them with the pitchforks moving around, heckling maniacally. Going under it, steam blew around them as a means of fire pushing through, nearly catching them off guard. Thankfully, it wasn't much of an ambush and continued on. They soon headed up the stairs and a spot light appeared to show a group of those hybrids dancing around crossed of mutilated citizens, something that sickens them the most. Thankfully, it wasn't real and they turned to see a bridge heading to the building. No doubt the Old Man Winter vigor was located there as well. Approaching the bridge, they noticed an army of Afican devil hybrids dancing around with real torches burning and above the building is a shadowy silhouette of Lincoln in a top hat, but with devil horns on the head and glowing red eyes, moving around as if acting as the puppeteer for his minions. As they looked at this while walking, Sari approached Booker and asked him something.

"Hey, Booker?" Sari started.

The detective heard her and responded, "Yeah?"

"I was wondering…" Sari said, trying to form some words, "You worked as a Pinkerton to handle riots and such. I was wondering if some of them involved the black community."

Booker heard that and was suddenly silent. They knew of his work as a Pinkerton and all the things he had done during that time, some of it he wishes to not take part of. So he told her the best he could.

"You can say that. Mostly, the Pinkertons had to make sure they keep the peace. Labor strikes, protests on the streets, and the occasional mutinies, we had to come in and break it all off. Sometimes, by force. The African community gets involved the most and there are times it gets ugly. I… I really don't want to talk about how it went. Trust me, life of a Pinkerton isn't something to talk about."

Sari listened to his side of the story and could understand why he's hesitant. Wars can change a man and for Booker, it's no different. So she decided to leave it to herself.

"Right…" was all she said, "I'll bear that in mind next time."

The group managed to reach the doors with a sign over it that says, 'Ford's Theater' and the doors opened for them. When they got in, they were in what's supposed to be a lobby of the theater, but parts of it looked like Hell's cavern with red eyes surrounding them. In the middle of it was another Motorized Patriot standing there, thankfully not armed or a threat. Elizabeth looked at this and pulled the lever, wondering what that would say. The Patriot immediately activates and tells of the story under Comstock's lie.

'Oh, black-hearted Lincoln, the lord of misrule… His the cause of a nation's great fall… Brought down by a virtuous agent of liberty, before the tyrant could wreak even greater harm…'

He was soon turned off as it finished it's lyrics. The group soon approached the door behind it and opened it. By the time they entered the huge room, it looked like a stage with fire around it and cutouts of African devils raising their pitchforks. But two things that caught their attention. For one, they could see the devil of Lincoln slumped on the balcony and looked to be dead with the bullet hold in the back of the head. And on the main stage, came a statue of John Wilkes Booth standing high with his pistol down and his hand up in victory. The very same one from the Order of the Raven's building. Elizabeth approached the statue and looked on, wondering about the story behind it.

"Is it true?" Elizabeth asked, "Is what Comstock said is what really happened. I mean, I read something like that when Songbird gave me a book of American history. I really wish to know."

The group heard her and wondered how to explain it to her. That's when Jack explained about it in his own way.

"It's difficult to say…" Jack answered, "See, Lincoln believed that all men are created equal. It doesn't matter what color you are, you are human in any way. He wanted to see a world where everyone's the same, and in reality, he was right. Where we're from, there are a lot of people that live in harmony. That is what good old Abe wanted. Equality."

Booker soon joined in and told her, "But not everyone likes the idea. The confederates believe that Lincoln's idea of equality is far extreme as the negro community can only serve slavery. They even fear that promise will drive the nation into total chaos. Which is the reason why they hired John Wilkes Booth to handle it. And as you can see, he was successful in his work. Now here he is, being treated like a hero in Columbia's eyes while in reality is a criminal."

Elizabeth looked back at the Wilkes statue and was shocked about the notion of Wilkes being a murderer then a hero. She soon turned away and didn't know what else to say. That's when Raf approached her and placed his hand on her shoulder, letting her know that everything will be alright.

"Hey, it's going to be alright." the hacker said, "A lot of people believe what they believe in. What matters now is the future of everyone. And equality is the one thing that unites the world. Sure there will be struggles, but together, they are stronger. That's all that matters."

The girl turned to him and smiled, knowing that what he's saying is the truth.

"Of course I know…" she said, "I mean, you and your friends are proof of everyone uniting for a common goal. That's the only proof I know."

She soon got her hand on his and held one for quite a bit. That left the team quiet and was curious about this unique relationship. Booker though wanted to focus on the mission and cleared his throat for a little bit.

"I think we have enough history for a while. Let's pay attention to the future, shall we. We need to find that vigor to get to both Slate and that Shock Jockey. It's got to be around here somewhere."

He soon went on ahead and looked around the main room to find something that could lead them to Old Man Winter. Elizabeth soon looked at Raf and said to him, "We'll talk later."

Raf was coughing a little and said back, "Right… Of course."

So she went on ahead and searched for that vigor as well. But as he looked on, he turned and saw his teammates looking on with concerned looks on their faces. The hacker sighed and asked. "What? Again? Why do I have to remind you that it isn't what it looks like."

The four looked at each other until Miko shrugged and said, "Oh, sure… We get it. You and Elizabeth got a thing going."

"It's not that! We don't have a thing going. She is just a curious young woman. I'm just a kid."

"Yeah…" Miko reminds him, "A kid with a body of an adult. You two are pretty much smitten for all I can see. I mean, who would want to hang out with someone who can open things out of thin air or has a bird guardian."

The super soldier rubbed the temples of his forehead and was getting annoyed by the Predacon hybrid. "C'mon, Miko. She and I, we don't have a thing. We are just helping Booker in getting her out of the city. Nothing more. You really need to keep these things to yourself."

Sari sighed and let her know of the whole interspecies romance. "Raf, Jack and I are sparkmates with two Autobots in two different worlds. It's natural to have someone close to you, even if they're not from your world. Besides, both of you have something in common."

"And what's that?" he asked.

It was then that Sari told him of his nightmarish experience. "That you both were experimented on and held against your will. This is Elizabeth's first time outside of Monument Island and wishes to see the world. This is her only chance at freedom and needs someone to guide her. What better way to have someone who shares the same experience. You should really think about it."

Raf heard her and turned away, wondering if someone like Elizabeth would want someone like him on her side. It seems nice, but with age difference, especially in body, it will be difficult to explain that to her. So he took a breather and told them that he got it.

"I'll give it some thought. But let's face it, someone like her, wouldn't like someone like me."

The group soon heard the sound of Booker calling them forward.

"Hey! I think we found something!"

The group turned to see the detective pointing to something with Elizabeth at a door. Seeing that, Sari turned to the hacker and told him, "Think about it."

The group soon walked down to the detective's position and noticed both him and Elizabeth at the door that looked to be frozen shut. And frozen it was as there was ice around the border and snow on the ground. Seeing this, Sari assumed what it was.

"Going to take a wild guess and say that someone went into hiding and used the Old Man Winter to seal the door." she said.

Booker turned to her and shrugged it off. "Yeah… Basically that's the case. My guess is that someone had to hide someplace when Slate's men stormed in and took over the Hall. Guess he had no choice."

Miko looked down at the snow and was amazed that the Vigor would do something like that. Brushing the snow with her hands, she felt the chill and said, "Whoa… So that's what Old Man Winter can do? I never thought they would create a winter wonderland."

Jack heard that and crossed his arms, saying to the hybrid, "Really? What do you think the Vigor's called, 'Old Man Winter'? You thought it was some air conditioning or something?"

Miko glared at him and answered, "I was expecting ice cubes popping out of your fingertips. But, this is a better choice. Too bad whoever trapped himself made one fatal flaw. Everybody get back."

Hearing that, the group slowly got back and watched the Predacon hybrid do her work. Miko soon took a deep breath and immediately spewed fire out of her mouth. The flames hit the door and in a matter of moments, the fire melted all the ice and snow and cleared the door completely. With smoke coming out of her nostrils after a bit of a breather, she smirked and finished what she was going to say.

"They never expect a metal humanoid dragon."

The group watched it all go down and was impressed by that.

"Huh… That's one way of clearing the way." Booker mentioned, "Would've used my Devil's Kiss, but save me some salts. Let's see if the vigor is there."

He soon passed the hybrid and opened the door to find what he's looking for. The others soon followed and entered the room. When they did, they noticed that they were in some form of storage/security that had cutouts of the black demons and props for the set. At the end, they could see what looked like a control room that operates the exhibit with blinking lights and levers to help operate the exhibit various jump scares along with a map of the exhibit entirely and green and red dots that depict where the people are. But then, they noticed someone sitting on a chair and looked lifeless. The group was curious and hesitant while the detective approached the person with his pistol out. The moment he got there, he gave the chair a nudge and it started to spin 180 degrees. That's when he could see a dead corpse without a head and there was a shotgun that looked to be on the floor. Looking at the two, he deduced what happened.

"Thought that was the case." he said, "The poor bastard here must've committed suicide, knowing that was no other way out. Body's still fresh too… My guess, this person must've killed himself a few days ago."

Elizabeth looked on with her hands on her opened mouth and eyes wide. She already saw death around her by Booker and the Skystrikers, she never saw something as gruesome as that. Raf noticed it and decided to comfort her. Placing his hand on her shoulder, she told her that everything is going to be alright.

"Hey… It's going to be okay. I'm here for you."

The girl looked at him and was calm, smiling at him. Sure…" she muttered, "This is something I need to get used to."

Booker soon looked at the body to see if there was anything of importance. Digging through his pockets, he felt something and said, "I think I found something."

The group heard him and checked to see what he discovered. Digging out of the body's pocket, he was holding some kind of bottle. Looking at it, he noticed it was a blue bottle with a cap that resembles an old man with a black top hat tilted to the side and it shows the picture in the middle that has an old man blowing snow. Looking at the bottle, Book knew what he was looking for.

"I think I found our vigor. Well...one of them." he said.

Sari approached him and looked at the bottle. "Hmm… So this is Old Man Winter." she exclaimed, "Figures it looked like the face of Jack Frost. Just be careful with this one."

Booker turned to her with a smirk and said, "I'm getting used to drinking these things. I can handle the reaction."

He soon twisted the cap and the whole head came off. Then he shug what's left of the vigor and felt the reaction to the liquid. Looking at his hands, they soon started to turn blue before being coated in ice and snow with spikes sticking out of the back of his hands. Tightening his fists, they returned to normal and took a quick breather.

Knowing he got a hold of the next vigor, he turned and told the others, "All right, we now have the Old Man Winter. Let's get back to Slate and clear a path."

So the group turned to leave the control/storage room and got through the door. They were about to get out of the Booth memorial until the doors started to close and locked them up completely. They soon heard voices coming from around them.

"There! They're trap! Dispose of those intruders. Slate's orders!"

Quickly, everyone got their weapons armed and checked every corner while Elizabeth was in the middle of the group.

"Great! Just our luck…" Miko said annoyed, "Those geezers lured us into a trap. How low can these guys be?"

Sari turned to her and told her, "Let's worry about this screw up later. Let's focus on getting out of it. Take to the skies, Miko. We'll handle the ground forces."

The Predacon hybrid heard her and sighed with annoyance. "Yeah, yeah. Got the message." Spreading her wings out, she flew high and took to the ceiling.

The others soon prepared for a battle and were ready for anything. Booker soon looked to his hand and tightened his fist to display the ice daggers through the skin. Smiling, he thought of something and said, "This Vigor could come in handy in a battle. Perhaps I'll give this one a test drive."

Sari turned to him and responded with, "Don't overdo it, Booker. We might need it to get through the wall of flames your friend made."

The detective turned to her and told her, "As long as there are plenty of Salts around, I'll be good."

Raf soon noticed something coming from one of the display balconies and pointed to it. "I think I found something. Movement at one of the balconies!" he said.

The others heard him and noticed shadows passing through one of the balconies. Jack soon notices more shadows passing through another opening at the balcony. He soon pointed there and said, "No! I see more over there!"

They all turned to see more shadows through that balcony as well. Sari observed both ends and realized what was happening. "This is not good. These guys are planning to surround us, and there's not enough cover to protect ourselves. We're as good as scrap."

Elizabeth heard her and knew that there is no way to get out of it. But then, she looked to the base of the Booth statue and noticed a small tear on it. Seeing this, she knew what needed to be done. "I think I know how to protect ourselves." she said to the team.

Raf heard him and said, "Better make it quick. I got the feeling that these veterans are about set to attack!"

Quickly, Elizabeth put her hands together and pulled it through. By the time she did that, she saw a small piece of grassy ground with what look like green small containers, mostly military. But on top of it, it looks like some kind of contraption with stilts at the bottom and some sort of yellow top that was glowing. She doesn't have a clue what it was and told the others about it.

"I managed to pull something through, but I have no clue what it is."

Sari looked to the group starting to come through the balconies, ready to fire away. Seeing the situation, she decided to take the risk. "Well whatever it is, we better do this quick, because I got the feeling that we're going to need it!" she exclaimed with concern.

Hearing that, Elizabeth rushed in to grab the device and rushed back. On cue, Slate's men started to surround the group through the balconies and pointed their carbines, sniper rifles, and machine guns right at the group, about to fire. Elizabeth managed to toss the device in the middle and joined the others. As the device landed, it stood and activated, forming and growing some sort of Bubble Shield that surrounded the group. The Veterans opened fire and targeted the group as the bullets fizzled by the shield. The group looked at this and was marveled by the sight of it.

"Huh… A bubble sheild." Jack said impressed, "Good choice."

Sari though looked at the shield and was still worried about it. "While that shield is making us safe, it doesn't mean that we're safe for long. It will be a matter of time before it dies out on us. We need to take them out now before that. And I know one person to handle the job." She soon looked up to the ceiling and called out a certain Predacon hybrid's name. "Miko!"

She heard her name and looked down to see the team in that shield and knew she needed to help them out. So she was looking to the balconies filled with soldiers and decided to take it. "On it!" she said as she swooped in and rocketed towards the balcony. She managed to spear one of the soldiers and pin him down to the wall, implanting him and knocking him unconscious. By the time she did that, she turned to a long hallway behind the many balconies and saw more men stopping what they were doing and turning to see the dragon-like hybrid staring at them. When she looked at them and realized something. They were dressed in garments that looked to be of tattered suits with built in tails and horns on their heads. But what caught her by surprise was their faces, as they were covered in black paint smeared on them with their eyes and mouth around it were normal, almost like what you see in those old 1930s or 1940s movies. Blinking to that, she pouted and was disgusted by it.

"Okay… That's just plain racist…"

The group soon pointed their weapons right at her and were about to fire. Miko managed to recover from the shock and immediately swoop in, with her claws and tail ready to strike Going for the charge, she used both her claws to tear the weapons in half while at the same time, used her tail to grab one by the leg and swung him around, hitting the other soldiers with him. Some got hit and were slammed to the wall while the other half were flown off the balcony and fell to the main floor.

As she was going through the group from one end to another, the other half of the group continued to fire on the shield and was trying to break through it. Raf looked at the walls of the bubble shield and noticed that it was fading in and out, meaning that it's weaking.

"Uh… Captain…?" Raf said as he pointed up to it.

Sari noticed it too and contacted Miko through the comm. Piece. "Miko, the shield is about to go off and we still have men on the other side shooting it down. Where are you?"

Miko was finishing off the men as she used both hands to bang two veterans by the heads knocking them out while choking the third one with her tail. Hearing her captain on the other end, she contacted back while finishing her work. "Working on it, Headmistress!"

Once she was done with the first batch of the group, she ran out a balcony and flapped her wings, surveying the situation. She noticed that the men were about to destroy the shield and had to do something quick. Looking up to the group, she grinned and decided to take them out the quick way. "Better get out of the kitchen, cause it's about to get hot in here."

Flapping high, she took a deep breath and heat was building up inside her. That's when she billowed out fire out of her mouth and spewed flames right at the balconies. One of the men saw that and warned the others of what's to come.

"Fallback! Fallback!"

The group immediately ran back as the flames hit the balconies and engulfed the place in fire with a few of them burning to death. Once that was cleared out, the bubble shield gave way and vanished completely. The group sighed in relief, knowing that they were in the clear for now.

"Talk about cutting it close." Booker said, "And I thought we were supposed to be goners. Great thinking with that contraption, Elizabeth. That was quite a feat."

Elizabeth turned to him and reminded him of her abilities. "As I stated before, I can only pull what I see, and sometimes it's the strangest of things I could see. Besides, that thing I pulled through was just plain luck."

Sari turned to her and told her, "Luck or not, at least we got out of there in one piece. Now we need to find a way to get out of this room and return to Slate. If only there's some sort of override to unlock this door, or if we use our cyber jitsu to melt the lock or-"

Before she could continue they all heard the sound of something breaking the door. They all turn to see the door breaking apart as something was about to burst through. Jack soon looked to his sensei and said to her, "Or… Someone wanted to break through the door to attack us."

He soon armed himself with his blaster hand and charged it ready for an attack. Sari heard that and agreed with her student. "Yes… My Gakusei… Yes…"

Soon enough, everyone armed up and ready to take on what's behind that door. "Whatever's on the other end, it's ready to take us on." DeWitt said, "Let's get this over with and get back to Slate."

All four of them prepared for what's going to pop out of the door. The very door continued to bang harder and harder, as splinters started to pop out of the surface. With one full push, the door started to burst open and something big came out of it. That big thing is a Motorized Patriot as and burst in with his chain gun armed and ready to fire.

'We are the Sword of Justice!'

This soon led to two Firemen as they rushed in and were ready to join in.

"And our sword will strike you down!" one of them said.

The group saw that and with the limited number, they gained power. Jack look back at Elizabeth and asked, "You wouldn't happen to conjure up another one of those bubble shields, would you?"

Elizabeth looked at him and silently shook her head. Looking back at the group, he groaned and realized that they are in serious trouble.

"Scrap…"

The Motorized Patriot started to crank its gun and fired rounds of bullets while the Firemen loob fire grenades at them. Both Techno Organics started to get together and armed their energy shields, powerful enough to protect them as well as DeWitt and Elizabeth. Raf got behind and got his sniper rifle armed to fire. As he took aim, he felt something not right and peered up to see the flames slowly being extinguished. That's when he saw the some of the surviving soldiers coming out of the balcony and were ready for another around. Seeing them, he told DeWitt about it.

"Booker! We got company from above!" Raf said to him.

Booker looked up and decided to keep them busy a bit more. "I got this." he said as he tightened his fist and it started to look dark. With a quick wave, a flock of crows came out of the either and flew towards the group. They all got caught off guard and were overwhelmed by the birds as they tried to swo them away. Miko took that opening and spit out multiple fireballs right at them. She managed to take them a few, but there were still many left over.

"I could use a little help here!" she screamed out loud, "I don't think I can take them all on!"

Raf heard that and decided to assist. Turning to Sari, he told her, "Let me get up there! I'll assist Miko!"

Sari turned to him and then looked up at the other side of the balcony, knowing that the birds wouldn't last long. So with a nod, she told him, "All right! Get up there and take them out!"

Raf got the order and turned to see how to get up there, if there are any stairs to head up. That's when Elizabeth noticed something and told him, "I see something that might help you get up there. Charge to that direction and I'll pull it through!"

Raf heard her and gave her the thumbs up. Quickly, he ran and made a mad dash towards the spot Elizabeth was pointing at. Running there, he got out of the shields and was exposed to danger. The Motorized Patriot turned to see him leaving and decided to stop it.

'You cannot escape the Prophet's wrath!'

He soon started to aim his gatling gun and fired a spew of bullets towards him. The super soldier though kept on running and with his enhanced speed, can easily avoid the bullets. By the time he reached the spot, Elizabeth got her hands together and began to pull something through. The moment the tear started to appear, there was a grassy ground with a wall of a light and dark brown checker pattern with what looked like a circular red object at the end. Seeing that, he took the risk and jumped on it. That caused the spring underneath to sprung up and pushed him up towards the balcony.

---

At the same time, the group managed to swoosh the birds away and they vanished, with a few cuts and scrapes in the process. One of them rubbed the pain in his neck and said, "This is ridiculous! I joined Slate to overthrow Comstock's reign, not hunting the False Shepherd. Just look at me! I'm burnt, I have claw marks on my uniform and skin, what's next?!"

As he said that, someone flew up and pointed to the head of the Veteran. It was then that a bullet flew through his head and killed him completely. That's when Raf landed on the railing of the balcony and stood there with his Heater shotgun out. The group saw this and looked to the hacker, who has a bit of a smile on his face.

"I don't know…" he said to the already dead body, "Maybe a bullet to the head?"

The others looked at this and decided to take care of him.

"Kill that Mexican freak!"

With that said, they all pointed their weapons and were about to fire. But they made the biggest mistake as he pointed his Heater at them and pulled the trigger, firing a spread of fiery bucks and got the first batch on fire. With them burning to death, the super soldier jumped in and clotheslined through the bunch of them. With his Heater in one hand, he went on the assault against the Veterans. He started to whack the first one with the butt of the Heater like a baseball bat then turned around to fire another shell right at the next one close by. Then the third one came in and was about to swing his pipe right at the hacker's dome. Raf soon ducked down and avoided the swing while taking his pistol out and put a few bullets in his guy's stomach. He keeled over in pain and blood came out of waist. With him temporarily down, Raf got up to did a low spinning kick to the veteran's head, knocking him out in the process. Then with both weapons in hand, he used them to take out a few more. With his pistol, he can take out soldiers from afar and with his Heater, he can take them down at close range. But as he was mopping them down, both his weapons started to run empty and he could tell that he was out.

"Well, that can't be good." he said as he noticed a few more soldiers remaining. Putting both his weapons away, he decided to handle them with his bare hands. "All right boys…" he said as he got into a soldier like stance, "Let's get it on!"

The soldiers responded by getting their clubs and pipes out and charged in for a fight. Seeing them do that, he went to the defensive and swiftly dip, duck, ditch, dive, and dodge through their swings. When he avoided the last one, he maneuvered around to grab his pipe while stomping him on the knee. The soldier felt that and screamed in pain, which caused him to let go of the pipe. With the weapon in his possession, the super soldier held it like a bat and swung to knock him in the head. The other soldiers turned around to see their comrade down for the count. Raf soon spun it around and got into a stance and acted like Neo. The group soon rushed him and swung at him. He quickly blocked and avoided each move with his pipe and during that time, swung his weapon to knock them all down.

As he was fighting the first half of the group, Miko looked down and saw the other half that's left behind. Seeing it all go down, she decided to join in on the fun. "Hey! No fair!" she said annoyed, "I want in on the fight as well!" She soon swooped down and entered the balcony on the other end plowed through multiple men in the process. She soon joined in on the assault and took on Slate's veterans. With them preoccupied, she took that advantage and grabbed one by the shoulder's, tossing him out of the balcony window. A few more saw that and turned to her, using their clubs to swing right at her. The Predacon smirked and wasn't amused.

"Seriously?" she asked them, "You want to use those shitty clubs on me? Puh-lease! I've faced Insecticons that are more threatening than you."

Sharpening her claws, she ran to them and was prepared for a fight. The veterans swung their clubs while at the same time, she slashed with her sharp nails. There were quick strikes as the two opposing forces were opposite of each other. After a few quick seconds, the clubs were split apart while they were still intact. Seeing their clubs ripped apart, they turned back to see the Predacon hybrid turning to them and was chuckling with smoke coming out of her mouth.

"Heh, heh…" she laughed, "Tough luck boys…"

She soon lunged at them and speared one of them to the ground. The others were shocked, but they will not be defeated that easily. So they went to their fists and tried to punch and kick her. However, the armor makes it impossible to beat her up. She looked on and found what they're doing pretty amusing.

"Aw…" she retorted, "Ain't that cute…"

She soon spit out a small fireball to one of the veteran's faces and blinded him for a cheap shot. When she did that, she got up and jumped to do a pele kick, knocking him to the floor. Getting back on her feet, she ducked down to avoid a swing punch and got up and grabbed him with her arm, delivering a Rock Bottom. Then, she rolled to avoid a kick and got up to do her own super kick to black him out by the chin. Turning and side stepping another punch, she grabbed the forth one by the throat and delivered a chokeslam to the floor. Turning to the first one she spear, she could see him getting his pistol out and acted fast. With a quick move, she did a V-trigger on him, knocking him out completely.

Looking at what she did, she smiled and told them, "Face the facts. You all lost before you knew it." She soon joined Raf, who was already preoccupied with the rest of the group.

Meanwhile, Raf was swinging around and hitting a bunch of soldiers with his pipe. But there were a bit too many and he cannot hold his ground for so long. He soon blocked one swing with his weapon, and spin kicked the veteran in the face. But that was a distraction as another one came out of nowhere. Raf felt that and turned around to see the veteran using his own pipe to attack. Raf managed to block the swing, but the force of it caused his own pipe to fly out of his hands. Seeing his weapon fly away, Raf turned to see the soldier with his pipe and knew he's in trouble.

"Huh. Not so tough now without your weapon, boy?"

The hacker soon noticed a shadow of a familiar person from behind him and could tell who it was. Looking at him, he shrugged it off and said, "Yeah. You're right. I'm pretty much vulnerable without my weapon. Thankfully, I got a weapon that's right behind you."

The veteran blinked and was a bit confused about that statement.

"Sorry. What?"

Before he could figure it out, a tail came behind him and wrapped around his neck, choking him to death. That's when Miko was behind him and responded to what her friend was talking about.

"He's talking about me, glitch head." she said. Quickly turning her body, she flung him to the other end and let go of his throat, causing him to fly to the wall and crack his neck. Miko turned to Raf and smirked a bit.

"Sup, Raf! Do you need a hand?" she asked him.

The hacker sighed and told her, "Don't mind me. I have everything under control."

That's when the two could hear someone close by.

"Stop right there, flock! You're not going anywhere! You're surrounded!"

The two heard that and looked around to see the remaining veterans holding their carbines and shotguns right at them. Miko looked at the situation and turned back to her friend, saying, "Uh-huh… Sure... I can tell from here."

The two soon join in the middle and have their backs to each other, surrounded by the remaining veterans. Both of them looked at each other and knew what to do.

"Well…? Shall we?" he asked her.

The Predacon hybrid smirked and said back, "Oh yeah… It's on now!"

The hacker grabbed hold of Miko's hand and with a quick twist, launched Raf off the ground and spun him around. Pretty soon, Raf acted like Neo as he run kicked the veterans surrounding them and pushed them away. Landing back on the ground, the two finish off the assault. Raf quickly reloaded his Heater with four shells and cocked it ready to fire, while Miko took a deep breath and charged up her own firepower. At the same time, the soldiers got up and aimed quickly to fire. But it was too late as the two hit back with their own flames. On Miko's side, she breathed fire at her side and cooked the veterans to a crisp. On the other side, the super soldier aimed his Heater and fired four of his shots at the rest of the group. All of them were burning away and left behind smoldering remains. Looking at this, they were able to take out all the soldiers on the balcony as much as they could.

"Well…" Miko said with a bit of enthusiasm, "That was fun."

Raf rolled his eyes around and gave a deep sigh. "Yeah… Fun…"

---

Just as they were finishing up, Jack and Sari were using their shields to hold back the onslaught of bullets and fireballs as the Motorized Patriot and the Firemen kept shooting and lobbing projectiles at them. As they were holding back, their shield energy was depleting and it would be a matter of time before they're out. Jack gritted his teeth behind his face mask and was getting really worried.

"Okay! This isn't working!" he said in a panic, "If anyone has a plan, start talking!"

Booker looked at the three threats and came up with one, with his arm freezing up and the other chipping. Looking up, he told them, "Step aside… I got this one."

The two turned to him and was wondering what he's going to do. They soon looked to each other with Sari deciding to follow his advice. "You heard him, my gakusei, step aside!" she said.

Quickly, the two step aside as the former Pinkerton waved one arm and shot two Bucking Broncos at the two firemen, causing them to float in the air. Then with the other arm, he shot some ice with his Old Man Winter vigor right at the Patriot. The ice hit the animatronic and is covered in snow and ice, freezing it completely. He looked at this and was impressed by his work.

"God… I'm starting to love these vigors." he said with a bit of satisfaction.

The two looked to this and decided to assist the detective in this fight. They soon got their blades and sword out of their arms and got their skates set up to charge in and headed straight towards the three targets. The Firemen were still in the air and saw the two techno organics heading straight towards them. Out of desperation, they tossed a bunch of fiery lobs at the two, hoping to take them out. The two immediately used their skates and did some quick maneuvers to help avoid those burning projectiles. The moment they got close, Sari switched to her rocket thrusters and jumped up high, delivering a blade right to the back of the fireman's tank. At the same time, Jack used his sword to slice the first Patriot in from the stomach to the back where the gear resides, then turned to chop the head off the second. Then jumping high, he proceeded to go other the second Firman and sliced the tank loaded with Devil's Kiss while in the air. Once the two did their cuts and skatted away from a safer distance, the Firemen got into a panic as their tanks caught fire and exploded while the Patriot was sliced down and the top part shattered in a thousand pieces. The two soon turned back and looked at the devastation, feeling accomplished with their work.

Sari soon turned to her student and said, "Excellent work, my gakusei. You are adjusting to the maneuvers."

Jack looked at the result and agreed, even if it's harmful. "Thanks, Sensei. Though I don't like it, I suppose survival is a way of saving oneself."

Sari sighed and knew that it was the case. "Indeed, it's not what we wanted, but we must adapt to the situation."

As if on cue, they were being bombarded by more bullets from above and got their shields up to protect themselves from the raining lead. Looking up, the captain could see the remaining veterans on the opened window sets and balconies and told Raf of the situation.

"Raf! We have more of Slate's soldiers attacking us from above! We might need some air support, now!" she demanded.

Raf overheard her and peaked out of one of the balconies and saw the remaining soldiers that were left unscathed from Miko's fiery attack. Just as he was looking, one of the soldiers he was facing took that distractions and charged in with his crowbar in hand. Quickly, he felt that and sidestepped out of the way for the threat to miss him. The veteran staggered a little and nearly fell off the balcony. That gave the hacker an opportunity to spin and deliver a heel kick to the back of his head, causing him to fall off the balcony and crash on the ground floor. Once he took care of him, he told the captain, "On it!"

Jumping off the balcony, he activated his jetpack on his back and flew to the middle of the room. With the carbine armed, he started to empty out the clip to take out the first few. Then with his pistol, took care of the rest. Course, he forgot about the others from behind and as they got out of hiding and aimed their weapons from behind, ready to stab him in the back. But just as they were about to fire, Miko flew down behind the super soldier and her eyes were fiery red.

"Oh HELL no! You are not going to hurt my friend!" she said as her mouth was glowing red. Immediately, she spat out a machine gun of fireballs at them and a few connected, roasting them completely. One of which flailed around and a machine gun flew up in the air and over the two. Raf managed to grab it with one hand and load it up, looking back to the Predacon hybrid with a smile.

"Thanks, Miko. Always glad that I have you watching my back." he said.

She looked back to her friend and smiled back, "Hey! Someone has to make sure a pipsqueak like you doesn't get hurt."

Raf was taken back by that and reminded her of his current status. "Pipsqueak? I'm not a kid anymore! I'm now a genetically enhanced super soldier."

Miko chuckled and responded with, "Yeah! But on the inside, you're still a pipsqueak."

Groaning, he noticed the remaining soldiers recovering and told her to focus. "Just shut up and let's clear the area up!"

Soon enough, the two started to fire on the two sides at the windows and balconies as bullets and fireballs were flying and the men started to go down with ease. As for Booker, he looked at the sight of it and could tell that they were winning and was enjoying it.

"Got to admit, I never thought I would get some help from outsiders. Though, given what they possess, they are quite a team." he said to himself.

Course what he doesn't know is that birds were coming down from their perches and gathered together. Elizabeth noticed it and was getting cautious. That's when she realized what it was and warned the detective about it.

"Booker! Behind you!"

Immediately, a Zealot veteran appeared from behind and raised his sword up to strike from behind. Hearing her voice, Dewitt quickly turned around and backed away, having the threat missing him by a few inches. The Zealot looked at him behind his hood and was hungry for blood.

"Good dodge. But that would be nothing compared to me. Come here my little birdies! Feeding time!"

With a quick wave, the birds came out of the blue and charged right to the Pinkerton. DeWitt saw that many birds and had to think of a way out of it. Just then, he charged up one of his vigors and continuously fire his Devil Kiss grenades at all of them, keeping the birds away. Just then, the Zealot quickly charged in and was about ready to strike. The detective soon stumbled back and nearly dodged that swipe. With a quick wave, he launched his Bucking Bronco and caused the sword wielder to fly up and was floating around. Quickly, he got himself up and was about to finish him off by giving him a taste of his medicine with the Murder of Crows. But as he waved his hand on him, nothing happened. It was then he realized that he is out of power.

"Shit!" he said in shock, "Out of Salts. Elizabeth!"

Hearing that, she searched through the bodies of the soldiers and couldn't find any bottles. "I'm trying to find some Salts, but it doesn't look like any of them have it." she said with concern.

DeWitt heard that and didn't like the odds. "Well, you better hurry up! The effects of the Bronco are temporary and I don't know how to face him when I don't have much weaponry to clash with."

Hearing that, she looked around and noticed a tiny rift not too far from the detective. "Maybe not. I think I see something you might want to use. I'll open the tear for you."

With a quick spread with her arms, the tiny rift opened up and showed a weapon of some kind. Turning to this weapon, he could see the weapon and wondered what it was. So he groaned and said, "Let's hope this weapon is effective!"

He soon started to run towards the weapon as the Bucking Bronco started to dissipate and the Zealot dropped to the ground. Landing on his feet, he looked up and could see the Pinkerton escaping and deciding to follow.

"Fleeing already?! You can run all you want, but you can't escape the wrath of the Lady of Columbia!"

Pretty soon, he vanished in a flock of birds and flew towards the detective. Booker managed to reach the weapon and picked it up. But when he did, he noticed something off about the weapon. It looked like some sort of hilt for a sword, but was metal with a chrome and copper feel to it. But there's no sword connected to it. Observing it, he was really confused about the weapon.

"What's this? Some kind of weapon or a paperweight? In fact, how do I use it?"

The crows soon got behind him and the Zealot formed behind and raised the sword high to his head.

"Time to repent for all of your sins, False Shepard!"

He was about to strike his sword down to slice him in the middle. But as he was about to, Sari and Jack came in and blocked the attack with both their blades, protecting the detective from inevitable doom. Book turned to see the two holding the Zealot off as Jack told him, "Better hurry up and work that weapon. We'll do our best with this one."

Booker soon backed away and was trying to figure out how this weapon works. As he was doing it, the two used their POM technique to push the Zealot away. He managed to stop himself by skidding with his feet and readying his sword for a battle. Looking at the two, he could tell that he wasn't impressed.

"What's this?" he asked himself, "Two on one? That's very cowardly for foreigners and traitors! If you want to fight me, face me one on one!"

Jack heard this and was surprised that he wanted to fight respectfully. Turning to his teacher, he said to her, "Got to say, for a psychotic sociopath he really likes to fight fair. Though I got the feeling that this fight won't be fair at all."

Sari got into her stance and told Jack to prepare for a fight. "Let's hold him off until Booker gets that weapon going! I just hope he can figure it out in time."

So the two started to charge in and begin fighting the Zealot in a two on one handicap match. Jack was the first to go as he charged in and had his sword out to strike. The Zealot managed to block it and pushed him back, delivering a swing of his own. Jack blocked that as well and used his free hand to fire his projectiles at him. The veteran quickly vanished as the projectiles reached him and the crows started to fly away. He continued to shoot them, but wasn't getting anywhere.

"Damn it! There's too many of them! No way I can take them all down!" he said in frustration.

Sari soon approached him and told him that she got it. "Stand back, my gakusei." she said as she pushed him away, "Let me handle this."

Looking up to the ceiling, she could see the birds flying around, but not gathering together to form their enemy. This gave her an opportunity to strike. Focusing on where the birds might go, she opened her eyes and fired her blasters at them, creating direct hits with one shot. Jack looked on and was quite surprised she could do that.

"Whoa!" he said with shock, "I didn't think you could do that with ease."

Sari smirked and told her student. "You've got a lot to learn from me, my gakusei."

But as she was doing it, a small flock gathered together and formed a shadow, raising a sword in the air. Jack suddenly felt that with his enhanced instinct and turned to see the Zealot behind them with a charge to the hybrid. Seeing that, he warned his teacher of the incoming danger.

"Sensei! Look out!"

She heard that and turned around to see the veteran up her face with his sword in the air.

"Die! Indian!

Jack quickly got in front of her and blocked his strike with his deployed shield. The Zealot could see that and wasn't happy.

"That's it! Protect her all you want, traitor! You're only delaying the inevitable."

Jack heard that and was getting aggravated with his bluff. "She's my teacher and a good friend!" he said in a threatening voice, "And there's no way I would let you hurt her!"

He soon used the energy of the shield and pushed the Zealot back for a couple of feet. He soon recovered and looked up to see the Darby charging in and used his boosters to get the height advantage. Bringing his sword down, he was going to strike down the middle. Quickly, the enemy got his sword up and blocked it off completely. The techno organic launched back and landed on the ground. Deploying his skates, he sped up and was going to slice him down to the side. The Zealot managed to block it off and side stepped out of the way. However, he knew that he's facing two people and turned to see Sari with her blades armed and her skates racing to him. The veteran managed to perry her and missed by a few inches before jumping off to prevent another slice from the oncoming Darby. Once he landed on the ground, the two techo organics stood their ground while the Zealot was feeling cocky.

"Hmph… That's a cheap move. Attacking me while my back was turned. It's typical for cowards to not fight fair!"

The two were taken back by that insult as Sari told him who they are.

"We're not cowards!" she said in a threatening voice, "We're the Skystrikers!"

And with that, the two sped towards the soldier with their melee weapons armed and ready. The Zealot soon got into a defensive position and was ready to take the two on. The two swung around with their blades and the soldier used his sword to block them. The two turned around with their skates and went straight back to them. He turned around and managed to block them again. Then they drift together in an ice skater formation and went back to the fight. The two kept on attacking as the Zealot was blocking whatever moves they had at their disposal.

As they were trying to fight him off. Booker did all that he could to figure out how to activate his weapon. He shook his, inspected it, and tried everything to understand this weapon. But no matter what he does, it wouldn't matter. Looking to the hilt, he was baffled at what it could do.

"C'mon… C'mon… Work damn it! Could tell this is a hilt of the sword, but there's no blade coming out of it. How am I going to fight him with this? Bash it in the head?"

Thinking about that, he turned the hilt and noticed something on it. It looked like some kind of button, something that is meant to be pushed. Curious, he started to push the button to see what happened. Almost immediately, a blue beam of light came out of it and stuck out, forming some type of sword. Staring at it, he was in awe at the sight of it.

"Well now… That's sure as Hell something." he said in astonishment.

Meanwhile, Sari and Jack were holding the Zealot back as best as they could as they used their blades to clash with his sword. From turners and swings, they tried to connect, but the Zealot was blocking each attack as he was protecting himself. The two looked at the situation and knew they weren't getting anywhere.

"Argh! This is ridiculous! The Zealot is blocking our every shot and none of it is working." Jack said in frustration.

Sari looked at this and decided to pull a risky maneuver. "Then I think it's time to pull out all the big guns. Gakusei, Cybernado!"

Jack heard that and knew what she was planning. "Oh yeah!" he said, a little excited, "I'm on it sensei."

The two soon closed their eyes and started to focus. Opening their eyes again, they were glowing white with the blades glowing brightly. The two soon started to take up some speed and went to the Zealot. He looked at the two and wondered what they were planning this time. He readied his sword and was going to take on whatever they were cooking up. But they didn't get near him. Instead, they went around him and spun in a circle. They continue to go faster and faster to the point where they were nothing but blues in blue light. Suddenly, they were creating a highly powerful funnel and it entrapped the soldier completely. He soon started to get lifted off the ground and was flying into the air. He tried to find a way to get out of it, but it was completely meaningless as the wind speeds in the funnel made it impossible to come down. Jack looked up to the guy and realized that Sari's strategy is coming to plan.

"You see that?" he asked his teacher. "It's working! He has no way of getting out of it now."

Sari soon told him to keep on focusing. "Keep it up, Jack. We need to keep him suspended until Booker is ready to finish him off. I just hope he gets that weapon ready."

Both techno organics continue to spin and keep the enemy in the air from preventing him from hurting Booker. The Zealot was starting to get aggravated over the two and just about had it.

"Enough!"

Soon enough, he placed both hands out of the side and flocks of birds pushed the two back and surrounded them, disengaging the funnel in the process. They used their blasters to fire on them, but they were numerous in numbers.

"Scrap! There's too many of them! I can't believe that Zealot pulled a fast one on us!" he said very angry.

Sari was in agreement and told him, "Don't get to work up my Gakusei. Let's dispose of them quickly and stop the Zealot. Although, I'm afraid that we might already be too late."

The Zealot looked at the two struggling and was pleased with what he did.

"Ha! That's what you get when you deal with a former member of the Order of the Ravens. Now for that crooked shepherd."

He then vanished with the flock of birds spreading out and going around the exhibit. By the time they all gathered, they were all behind the detective and the Zealot formed. Course, he didn't know of the weapon Booker possessed and decided to stab him in the back.

"Repent is at hand!"

He was about to swing his sword and go for the back. But then, Booker turns and swung his energy sword right at him, cutting the sword down by the hilt. The Zealot saw his sword knocked from the base and was completely shocked at the sight of it.

"What!? How is that possible?! The metal on my sword is the strongest in all of Columbia! What type of sword is that?!"

Booker looked at his blade and gave a bit of a smirk. "My guess… A saber of light."

With a quick swing, he went for the neck and cut the head clean off. Soon enough, the battle was finally over and all the veterans were disposed of, either out like a light or down in the grave. Booker took a breather and was glad that it was finally over as Miko flew down and landed next to him, with a nostalgic look on her face.

"Sweet!" she said excitedly, "That is an awesome Lightsaber. I bet if you had the force, you would've been a great Jedi."

Book turned to her and was a little confused by what she said.

"What? Force? Jedi? What are you…"

Before long, Sari came in and decided to make sure things would've gotten weird.

"What she meant to say is that you were really handy with that weapon." she explained.

Booker looked at the three oddly and was still iffy about this group. "Right…" he said in scepticism.

By the time he was getting curious, Raf called them out for a little help.

"If you done with the ground forces, think you guys can come up here. We still have a few more men up on the balconies and I could use a little assistance!" he told them.

Miko heard that first hand and said, "Opps… Almost forgot about that. Well, better help Raf with his little pest problem. You're welcome to join in. Could use all the help we can get."

She soon flapped her wings and flew up to join the super soldier in battle. The others look to this and decided to aid them as well.

"Seesh, Miko's right." Jack said, "I would appear the last of the forces are much tougher then expected. Probably more reinforcements or something."

Sari looked at that too and agreed with her student. "Then it's best we start assisting them and clean up. Jack, go with Booker and handle the left side! Elizabeth, you're with me on the right! We need to back them up with whatever we got." she gave out the order.

Everyone heard her and knew what they needed to do. So Jack and Booker went to the left side with DeWitt using the Sky Hook to jump to a nearby hook while Jack used his rocket boosters to launch himself into the air. Meanwhile, Elizabeth turned to the captain and was a little worried about what she said.

"With all due respect, Ms. Sumdac, but I'm afraid I cannot assist you on this. I don't have as much battle experience as any of you." she said with concern.

The captain turned to her and told her, "So…? I never had much combat back when I was young and I managed to succeed with the help of my friends. And considering that you have that ability to pull things out of the ether, I can tell that you make a great soldier in the years to come. Now come on! Our friends need us."

She soon rushed to the right side and launched herself with her boosters. Elizabeth looked on and was silent after hearing that word… Friends… She just met them a few hours ago and one of them called her a friend. Other than Songbird, the Skystrikers and, or a more serious degree, DeWitt, were the closest people to have real friends. So with a warm smile, she decided to follow her lead and got her skyhook out.

"Yes, Ms. Sumdac!" she said and followed her.

---

Around that time, Raf and Miko were holding the line and were using everything in their arsenal to take them down. Raf was using his machine gun to shoot down the groups on both ends. At the same time, Miko was in the air and spat balls of flames right at the opened windows and torched a few veterans in the process. The two soon need to be in the middle to take them both on as they can't deal with one end while on the other end still has a lot of opposition. Raf turned to see the statue of Boothe and came up with an idea.

"Miko! Think you can put me on top of that statue?" he asked her.

Miko looked at the statue and was silent about it. "Oh… You mean that statue that honors a murderer that killed a President in the back of the head in point blank range?" she asked, "Sure!

She soon flew to Raf's position and was ready for him. The super soldier soon ran up one of the balconies and jumped off it, flying in the air. Quickly, he grabbed Miko's clawed hands and she took him to the statue. Once they approached it, she dropped him and he landed right on top of Boothe's head. Getting his sniper rifle out, he started to take some shots right at the soldiers in the head when they were exposed. At the same time, Miko was in the air and continuously spit out fireballs and obliterated the soldiers on the other side. So far, the two managed to hold them all as the hybrid was starting to enjoy this.

"Pft… This is too easy. And to think that these guys are tough to beat." she said all cocky like.

Raf heard her and didn't like the way she sounded. "Don't get too cocky!" he told her, "They might be small fries, but they can always surprise you."

Just as he said that, more veterans came in, this time with heavy armor and Barnstormer RPG's in their hands. These Beasts, like in the other exhibits, were dressed up to represent the John Wilkes Booth scene. These Beasts were wearing heavy cladded armor and pads with their helmets looking like devil horns and a nose ring on their metal nose. They all came out of the open balconies and pointed their weapons right at them.

"Now we got you!"

Seeing that, the hacker knew that what he said was right. "And there's an example of it." he said.

The group started to fire their rockets at them, hoping that they could hit one. Miko saw that and immediately flew around to avoid the firepower. Raf soon used his jetpack and jumped off the statue's head to avoid one shot that hit Boothes face entirely. They were soon in the air, avoiding all the rockets the Beasts were giving them. They did try to hold them off with their own weapons, but the soldier's heavy armor would be too much for them to handle. So they had no choice but to evade their shots and hope their friends would take care of it.

"Okay! Now I'm really getting annoyed with these guys!" Miko said with disdain in her voice.

"Let's hope the others aren't busy, otherwise,we're sitting ducks." Raf said with concern.

---

The Beast continued to fire their rocket launchers at the two and knew that they were going to win.

"Keep firing at them, boys! They won't be in the air forever!" one of them said.

But as they were firing, a stray bullet hit one of the beasts by the helmet and he turned to see who hit him. That's when they could see Booker and Jack in front of them and they were well armed.

"Sorry to disappoint, boys." Booker said with a cocky grin, "But I'm afraid you have bigger problems to worry about."

The Beasts look at the two and know who they are.

"Shit! The False Shepard and one of his flock is here! Get him!"

One of the Beasts pointed his rocket launcher right at him and fired one shot at the two. Jack soon got his shield up with one hand while arming his hand blaster on the other.

"Get behind me!" he said.

He soon fired one single projectile at the rocket and they both connected. That connection caused the two to blow and as the Beasts were pushed back by the force of the blast. As for Jack, he managed to brace the blast and both he and DeWitt remained standing as he made the shield strong enough to prevent them from falling. Once the smoke had cleared, they could see the soldiers dazed and wounded with plates of their armor falling off and exposing their bodies, helmets included. Seeing that, Booker smirked and knew what he had to do now.

"Great thinking, Jack" he said as he got his machine gun out and loaded it with a fresh clip. "Now it's my turn…"

He soon started to run up to them and pulled the trigger, firing right at the exposed places. The group starts slowly getting up and struggling to recover. But as they were getting back on their feet, a barrage of bullets attacked them with some of them hitting their exposed parts and severely wounding them. One of them managed to protect himself by covering one side that has his armor. When the detective got close, he gave him a serious clothesline and knocked him off his feet. Booker lay on the floor back first and was a little dazed. While at the same time, the soldier turned to him and tightened his fist, ready to smash him right in the face. The Pinkerton managed to recover when he opened his eyes and saw the fist heading straight towards him. Quickly, he rolled out of the way and managed to avoid the attack as the fist hit nothing but the floor. The soldier looked back and saw him rolling away, wanting to stop him.

"Get back here you yellow belly coward! Fight me like a man!"

Just as he said that, a couple of shots hit him in the back and turned around to see who shot him. What he saw is Jack with his hand opened up and the blaster glowing, with an angry look on his face.

"Who are you calling a Coward?" he said annoyed, "You were going to beat a man when he's down. What do you call that?"

The veteran looked at him and had a sternful look on his face. "That is none of your business boy!" He soon charged in and was ready to pick a fight with the techno organic. Bad mistake as he swiftly avoided the swinging punch and gave him a spinning back kick to the back of his exposed head. The soldier felt that and rubbed it, getting pissed off. So he turned around and was delivering a number of punches right at him. Jack quickly avoided each of them with ease and used his own fighting combat to sweep the leg and perform a jumping V trigger to the face, keeping him discombobulated from the fight.

As he was fighting him, Booker slowly got up and could see the fight was going well. But he knew that it would be a matter of time before the Veteran gets the upper hand. Looking at the battle, he could tell that the helmet was off and the head was exposed. Seeing that, he knew what he needed to do. Getting his Skyhook out, he looked for the right time to strike.

Meanwhile, Jack was having fun with the Beast and avoided some of his punches while giving him his own. Once he ducked down a swing, he bent back and gave him a kick to the chin, while flying high in the air. The veteran was caught by it and nearly went off his feet. Staggering, he tripped on a dead body and landed on the floor, nearly getting a concussion in the process. Jack landed back on his feet and was pleased at how the fight was going.

"What's wrong? Can't get up?" Jack said in his confident tone, "I thought you guys were going to be tough. But by the looks of it, it seems I was so wrong on that part."

The Beast heard him and was upset by the way he said it. Looking down, he could see some dirt on the ground and knew what to do with it. Picking a handful up, he turned to him and said, "Yeah? You think I'm weak? Well I got news for you, pal. Never count a Beast when he's down!"

He soon turned to get up and threw the dirt to Jack's face. That dirt got to him and while he had his visor and mouthguard up, he wouldn't see with all the dirt on his face. He tried to rub it out of his sights, but when he did, he got immediately speared by the Veteran and was pinned to the ground. He soon punched the Darby in the face multiple times and nearly cracked the visor and mouthguard. When he was done with that, he picked him up and started to choke him by the neck and lifted him high in the air. Jack was struggling to get out of it and punched his arms to free himself. But he was too strong and the veteran was talking back at him.

"What did you say to me boy? That was weak? Pathetic? Oh that's right. That I was a coward. Well, I'm no coward! I'm a soldier! And no one can stop me! Not even the False Shepard."

The techooganic struggled as he was starting to pass out from the choke. What the two didn't know was someone was listening from behind and got an opening he was looking for.

"Really? You think I can't stop you? Well, I'm afraid you're dead wrong."

The Beast heard that and was about to turn around. But before he could, he felt something in the back of his head and went immediately numb. That caused him to immediately let Jack go and dropped him on the floor. Landing on one knee, he took a breather and looked up to see what happened. What he saw was that the Veteran's eyes were glazed and blood teared up his eyes. But what shocked him the most is that Booker was behind him and had his Skyhook embedded to the back of his skull. He soon pushed the handle and the blades started to spin, causing the blades to drive deeper into the head and reaching the brain. He soon dropped him to the ground face first and continued to drill deeper. Once he got to the brain, he shredded it like a blender and killed the beast immediately. Once he was dead, DeWitt pulled the skyhook out and got up, looking to Jack to see if he's fine.

"You're all right?" he asked him.

Jack looked at him then down to the body with the hole in the back of his head and answered nonchalantly as possible. "Yeah… I'll survive… Wish I could say the same to him. Don't you think you took it a bit too far?"

Booker looked down at the body and gave a bit of a sigh. "What can I say?" he stated, "I had to do what was necessary. Besides, what I did to him wasn't compared to what happened at Wounded Knee. And trust me, the less you know of that mess, the better."

Jack looked down to the body and was a little uneasy about what he said.

"Sure… Whatever floats your boat." he said with uncertainty.

---

Meanwhile, the other Beasts from the otherside were firing their rockets at Raf and Miko and noticed the otherside stopped firing.

"Hey! The others aren't firing back. What gives?"

The other one noticed it too and thought it was something basic.

"Who cares? We still have those pesky flies buzzing around. We need to keep on firing until they are swatted out of the sky. Besides, I'm sure they ran out of rockets and want to reload."

Just as he said that, he heard a voice close by.

"Or, it's just my gakusei and the detective handling your forces. But it could be either or."

The group heard that and turned to see who it belonged to. Turns out, Sari was standing there with her arms crossed with Elizabeth behind her looking a little nervous. Seeing the two, they knew that they are in for a fight.

"Lookie here boys. It's one of the Shepherd's flock and the lamb. Looks like today's our lucky day! Get em'!"

The group soon got their rocket launchers out and fired a few rockets at them. Elizabeth immediately got behind a piece of staging while Sari lifted her arm up to deploy her shield. Growing it out and giving it more power, the rockets hit and exploded them, but didn't hurt the captain. Instead, when the smoke cleared, she was still standing and wasn't amused.

"What? Is that all you got? Let me show you how it's done."

She soon got her blades out and used her skates to charge in to attack the group. The group quickly reloaded with RPGs, but it wasn't going to be enough. The techno organic went from one soldier to another and with quick slices, managed to take them out while obliterating their weapons. One slice from one side. One slice from the other side. Wounding the leg on one end. Taking out a knee at the other end. She was able to wound them enough just so they won't attack again. But as she was busy, the Beast in the back looked around and noticed a Peppermill Crank Gun on a crate,no doubt was supposed to be used for the ambush and none of the soldiers didn't have the time to do so. Looking back, he knew that he had to do something and went for the gun. Meanwhile, Sari was wrapping up the fight and stabbed someone on the gut, causing him to get down in anguish. She looked back to see all the Beasts severely wounded and in total pain and told them to remain where they are.

"I don't want to kill you all." she stated, "But I can't let you hurt my teammates. So I suggest you stand down, or I would do something that won't be fortunate for you."

She soon heard the voice from behind as it sounded menacing.

"You don't want to hurt us? That's cute… Wish I could say the same to you."

Hearing that, she turned around and saw the Beast holding the gatling gun in his hand. Blinking, she knew that she's in grave danger. "Not good."

Turning the crank, the veteran fired armor piercing bullets and they all headed straight to the captain. She quickly turned on her shield and made it powerful enough to deflect the shots. As she was busy with him, the other Beasts started to recover and picked up their Barnstormers for another round. Elizabeth noticed this and warns Sumdac about the situation.

"Ms. Sumdac! Behind you!"

Sari heard her and turned to see the Beasts she took down coming back up. Looking back and forth between the one firing the chaingun and the others recovering, she could tell that she's in some serious trouble.

"Great… Caught between a rock and a hard place." she said with concern, "This is troubling. But hey… Been through worse."

She soon used her free hand to arm her blaster and fired on them to hold them back down. Still, between the soldiers coming back up and her shield beginning to break down, it would only be a matter of time before she gets overwhelmed. Elizabeth could see it as well and has to do something to save her. It was at that moment she could see a rip behind the Beast firing the chingun and told Sari what she saw.

"Ms. Sumdac! I can see a tear behind that Beast. Though I must admit, this one is a strange one." she warned her.

Sari heard her and noticed the tear as well, but the veteran didn't notice it and decided to used it to their advantage.

"Great thinking Elizabeth!" she exclaimed, "Now be ready to open it when I say it. I just need to make some breathing room around here.

The Beast heard her and wasn't amused.

"You think you can take all of us on, little Indian? Don't make me laugh!"

The captain looked down to the floor and thought of a way to get out of it. Pointing her blaster hand down, she charged it and planted it on the floor. When she did that, she used a shock wave to knock all the veterans to the floor, including the one of the chaingun. Once they were all down, she used her boosters to jump high and flew over all of them. When she was in the air, she told the girl to open that tear.

"Now! Do it!"

Hearing that, Elizabeth placed her hands together and focused on opening that tear. Spreading her arms apart, the tear appeared and Sari managed to get out of them while flipping away from the group. By the time she landed, the two noticed that the Beasts weren't in the staging hall. Instead, it looks like a different type of hallway with glass for walls and fluorescent lights behind them. The group recovered and looked around at the mysterious hallway, wondering what it was.

"What the- What is this!?"

Just then, the fluorescent lights on the hallway begin to light up and register the group to be intruders. Just then, a thin green beam came up and started to approach the group. The soldiers looked at it and wondered what it was. It was then that the light grew and expanded into a fence like wall, engulfing the entire hall. The group saw that and was confused about it.

"What in the name of the Founding Fathers is-"

But before they could react to any of that, the fence got through them like a hot knife through butter and stopped right at the end before disappearing. The group stayed motionless for a good while before blood was seeping out of the cuts. In a matter of moments, all the soldiers collapsed in multiple tiny squares of metal and flesh and left a huge mess on the floor. The two saw that and were stunned silent at the sight of it. So much so, that Elizabeth felt her stomach churning and quickly headed to a nearby trashcan to throw up. Sari looked back to her before turning to see the sight with disturbing concerns.

"Well…" she stuttered, "That was something…"

Elizabeth managed to recover from the shock and took a breather from throwing up. "What can I say…" she said in a cough, "The tears I pulled are quite random. So there's no telling what I can make appear. As I demonstrated."

The captain turned to her and said back to her,"Right… Well the next time you want to pull something like that off, try and give a little warning when you do so."

The girl nodded and wiped the bit of vomit off of her mouth. "I'll try to be discreet."

---

Pretty soon, the battle was over and the group managed to take care of all the veterans that attacked them. They all soon rejoined with Miko and Raf flying down to their position. Once they reunited, Miko looked at all the devastation and was shocked that all this happened.

"Man… Look at this place." she said to the team. "I don't know about you guys, but these old geezers really know how to throw a party."

Booker turned to her and reminded her what they had gone through. "This is no party, miss. This was a battle to the death. And Slate knows a thing or two in fighting to his last breath. No doubt that he's stalling us while he plans his next move. And with all the Shock Jockey in his system, who knows what he has plans for us in that exhibit he's hiding in."

Sari soon approached him and told him that they must hurry. "Well, we better make this quick. Between him and Comstock's military, our window to The First Lady gets smaller and smaller. I just hope that vigor you obtained will do the trick."

Booker looked to his hand and tightened his fist, focusing on using Old Man Winder as his hand got cold and spikes came out of it. "Oh trust me, the way I used it on the forces, I know I can do more work with this in my disposal." he said with some confidence in his voice. "Now come on. We have a Vigor to take, and an old friend to visit."

The group soon walked away from the Booth exhibit and were returning to where Slate was hiding. As they were walking, Raf approached Elizabeth and checked on her, noticing that she's not feeling well.

"Hey." he started, "You're all right?"

Liz turned to him and smiled a little weakly. "Yeah… It's just that it's the first time I saw a human get cut up to a thousand pieces."

The hacker looked at her strangely and wondered what she meant by that. Looking to Sari for answers, the techo organic shrugged it off and said to him, "Trust me, you don't want to know."

As they were walking, one of the soldiers managed to survive and looked at the group leaving the room. When they left, he took out his old walkie talkie and talked to a certain Cornelius on the line.

"Sir! We failed. DeWitt got the Old Man Winter and is on his way back to you. Permission to stop him."

We waited for a response from him and got it, but not the way he expected.

"No… Leave them be. I'll will deal with them myself. You all should focus on setting a perimeter in and out of the Hall. Comstock's men are fast approaching and I cannot let them take me alive."

---

In the exhibit that's under construction, Slate was on the other end and the soldier was shocked by his position.

"But sir, DeWitt and his flock have given most of our men a hero's death. We don't have that many in our disposal. Should I contact Daisy to see if she can send in some reinforcements."

Slate shook his head and told him, "That won't do, she and her group are too preoccupied with preparing a revolution. And even if we call her for help, it is already too late. This is our day, soldier. Our last stand. Either we die with honor like General Custard, or we meet a fate that's far worse. Prepare for battle."

Just as he said that, electricity came out of his hand and surrounded the walkie talkie, sparking it until it blew up in his hands. Tightening that said fist, he looked at a shadow of a statue and said to himself, "All right, DeWitt, the time has come. Time to face your greatest test yet. I hope you choose wisely. For there's a difference between a Tin Man, or a real one!"

Once he lit up the place, Slate got a chance to see the statue's face. The face of Corporal Gregory Bishop.

---

That oughta do it with chapter fourteen. And if you are wondering what tears Elizabeth pulled through, here's the list that is below.

Yorha Units: Nier Automatica
Bubble Shield: Halo 3
Red Spring: Sonic the Hedgehog
Lightsaber: Star Wars
Laser Hallway: Resident Evil Film

Anyways, I was planning to do a whole chapter of both the Old Man Winter and the Slate fight. But considering how long this chapter is becoming and how much fighting that is going on, I decided to cut this off and leave a cliff hanger. I know it's cheap, but it's all part of the course and it will leave with people anticipating about this inevitable fight. Speaking of which, the next chapter will be Booker and the Skystrikers finally facing Slate and getting the Shock Jockey from him. But at the same time, the team will discover a dark truth that they would fear of. What will it be? You must wait to see. Please Review. #WherearetheGoodCartoons?